Taillights are an important safety system in vehicles, particularly motor vehicles. Such lights indicate the operating condition of the vehicle and warn following drivers of upcoming stops and turns. It is generally mandated by law that vehicles operating on public roadways be equipped with adequate taillight systems.
Hazards can occur when a first vehicle is towing a trailer or a second vehicle because the towed vehicle tends to obscure the taillights of that first vehicle. In such situations, safety as well as law requires that the towed vehicle also be provided with adequate taillight systems. Toward this end, many trailers or regularly towed vehicles are equipped with wired-in taillight systems which include a jack or similar connector adapted to interface with the electrical system of the towing vehicle so as to energize the towed vehicle's lighting system in synchrony therewith. While such systems are in very widespread use, they do present problems insofar as the connector jacks tend to corrode or break off and wiring of the auxiliary taillight system tends to fail, often while the vehicle is being towed.
Greater difficulties are encountered when a first vehicle is towing a second in an emergency situation because connector jacks are generally not found on most motor vehicles and establishing an interconnection between the taillight systems of the respective vehicles entails expenditure of time and effort. Furthermore, in an emergency situation it is frequently found that the vehicle to be towed has sustained damage to its taillight system precluding any such interconnection.
Difficulties are also occasioned by failures of preinstalled taillight systems on trailers and the like due to broken connections, blown fuses, damaged bulbs and so forth. Frequently such damage occurs on the road remote from a repair facility and such failure is most significant under conditions of darkness or limited visibility which further complicate repair of the taillight system.
The foregoing problems could be simply and easily obviated if there were available a system for providing taillight function to trailers or other towed vehicles, which system does not necessitate extensive electrical connection to the towed vehicle. It is further desired that such system be readily adaptable to be used in conjunction with a variety of towed vehicles and not be dependent upon any electrical or mechanical components thereof for its function. The present invention provides for a wireless taillight system having a transmitting module disposed in a towing vehicle and energized by the taillight circuitry thereof so as to broadcast electromagnetic control signals to a pair of taillight modules which may be mounted upon the towed vehicle.
By the use of the present invention, taillight function, including run, stop and turn functions, may be provided to any towed vehicle without the necessity of establishing separate electrical communication. For example, the wireless taillight system may be carried in tow trucks or other emergency vehicles and the wireless modules attached to towed vehicles to warn those following. Similarly, the system may be employed in conjunction with tractor-trailer trucks as an adjunct or emergency lighting system to be used in the event of failure of the trailer's lights. These and other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one of skill in the art in light of the drawings, discussion, description and claims which follow.